26% Of Shoppers Wish This Discontinued Candy Would Make A Comeback
As the timeless saying goes, "all good things must come to an end." And sometimes, this philosophy applies to the simple joys of days past, including the sugary indulgences that shaped many of our childhoods. In a recent survey conducted by Mashed, hundreds of candy lovers in the U.S. voted for the discontinued confection they most long for, and the candidates will take you on a sweet trip down Memory Lane.
The runner-up was the graham-cracker and marshmallow-infused Hershey's S'mores Bar, with 16.5% of the votes. Other nostalgic candies in the running included the famous Wonka Bar (15.8%), Starburst Hard Candies (13%), Altoids Sours (10.5%), Creme Savers (9%), and the candy-filled Nestlé Wonder Ball (8.5%).
The crowned champion was an all-time favorite of cartoon wisecracker Bart Simpson, who even starred in a series of animated TV commercials for the crunchy, chocolaty, peanut buttery treat back in the '90s. Yup, you guessed it! Just over 26% of the survey respondents selected Butterfinger BB's as their nostalgic candy of choice.
What were Butterfinger BB's?
As Bart himself would say, "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!" Described as "crispety, crunchety" in the memorable ad spots, Butterfinger BB's were essentially the bite-sized version of their big brother, Butterfinger, the iconic milk chocolate-coated, peanut butter-filled candy bar. If you've never experienced the joy of munching on a bag or box of BB's at your local cinema, they were tiny balls of crispy peanut butter generously coated in creamy milk chocolate — as if a normal-sized Butterfinger was fragmented into pop-in-your-mouth pieces.
Butterfinger BB's made their debut on American candy store shelves in 1992. Production came to a halt in 2006, much to the dismay of peanut butter and chocolate fans across the country. There was even a Change.org petition to bring them back. A similar product, Butterfinger Bites, stepped on the scene in 2009 to fulfill consumer demand (per Everything What).
So, what exactly happened to the beloved Butterfinger BB's? According to The Daily Meal, their ultimate fate was due to a low melting point, which basically meant that the eater's fingers would be covered in sticky melted chocolate each time they reached into the bag. Whether kids actually cared about the messiness of BB's while playing with their Tamagotchis remains the real mystery.